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The Piedmont Fox Hunters Association held its Annual Field Trial and Bench Show on April 4-7, 2012 at James Ray and R.A. Keith’s Tar River Fox Preserve.
During the months leading up to the event, Association President John Strider worked the telephones feverishly in an effort to try and secure enough judges for the upcoming hunt. I originally had planned to run hounds in this event. After receiving a call from John, I decided to judge in an effort to help him out.
On Wednesday, April 4, Charles (The Real) McCoy came down to my house and we headed toward Creedmoor. We rolled into the hotel to check in with the temperature at 87 degrees. We then proceeded to the kennel to unload my four-wheeler and visit with some of the hunters who had gathered there.
President Strider was at the entry room along with association stalwarts Bobby Bryant Scott Bowman, Mike Hildebran and Secretary/Treasurer Calvin Sharpe who were helping take entries. Also present were Dennis Craig, Jerry Cornelius, Shane Bonavita and Mike and Howard Easter.
After visiting with these folks, I headed over to Robert Verlander’s trailer as I had a couple of tracking collars that needed repair. I also enjoyed visiting with Wally and Laura Johnson who had Wally’s hound supply trailer set up and were offering a wide variety of hound supplies for the hunters.
After this, I enjoyed visiting with several other folks who would be in attendance during the hunt. Some of them included Roger and Susan Johnson, Charles and Gary Short, Jesse Cunio, James Clark, Toot Wilkinson, Randy Wittenbarger and Kim Perry.
Also on hand were fellow judges Andrew and Sandy Hoyle, Walter Cleaton, Jerry Towler, Master of Hounds Clyde Sutton and his assistant, Pete Warren.
While chatting with these folks, a thunderstorm came up and cooled off the area considerably.
After visiting with these folks, we headed back to town to eat supper and grab some shut eye before the 4:30 AM wake up call.
When we arose Thursday morning, it was still a bit warm and muggy when we headed for the pen. When we got there, we learned that there were 247 hounds entered at the 2012 Piedmont. After breakfast, Clyde led a brief judges’ meeting that was routine. After this, Jerry Towler and I grabbed a legal pad and headed toward the kennels up on the hill to begin checking the hounds. While we checked them, it was good to see hunters David Futch, Malcolm McCarson and Shane Haynes who were among the folks that we hadn’t seen yesterday during our visit.
Roll call went well and we soon had the hounds checked in and we were ready for the 6:45 cast time.
Before the hounds were cast, I stopped just past the front pond in the wooded area that has been a hot crossing at many of the hunts that have been held here. When the hounds were cast, the running started immediately in the middle of the pen. There were several packs going strong at once and a coyote soon crossed my path and I got my first crossing at 6:56.
For the first couple of hours, there were packs running everywhere. I was extremely busy going back and forth and trying to use my two-way radio to help Clyde and Pete, who were at the front gates, be aware that packs were headed their way.
As the morning wore on, the packs got bigger and the weather took a drastic change.
Just like you would flip on a light switch, the weather cooled off drastically. When this happened, the scenting conditions took a turn for the worse and the running got spotty.
When the hunt was called, we judges enjoyed some of Donna Martin’s excellent lunch and gathered to take off our scratches and to turn in our hunting scores. The lovely Richelle Powell was staffing the computer and did her usual excellent job and we soon had the sheets ready to post.
At 7 PM on Thursday, the bench show was held at the kennel. Charles and I went out a bit early and ate dinner. I enjoyed seeing some of the other hunters that I had not seen this morning. Some of them included Jeffrey Johnson, Tony Deal, Lamar Blaylock and Benny Bennett.
The show was very well attended as all the classes were overflowing. Rodney Crisco served as show judge with Trent Tart acting as ringmaster. After carefully giving the hounds a good look, Rodney picked a hound owned by Kim Perry as the winner. Congratulations to Kim.
Roll call Friday morning was held at 5:30 and we had 28 less hounds to check.
Yesterday, we had 14 judges in the field, but today we had seven more for a total of 21.
Last night, we had rain in the area and it was threatening to rain as the hounds were cast. It did start to sprinkle and I grabbed my umbrella and parka from my supply box. Fortunately, the sprinkles ended and were never a problem.
The running was fast and furious for the first couple of hours and a bit spotty for the rest of the time. I got a couple of good red fox crossings today and several of the other judges reported good running reds also.
When the hunt was called and we finished getting our scores squared away, Jay Craven and Shane Bonavita had slaughtered the competition. They had entered three Derby hounds and placed them 1, 2, 3. Since these two have teamed up, they have been a powerful force on the field trial circuit. Congratulations to two hard hunters.
At roll call Saturday morning, it was 36 degrees. We had 81 hounds eligible to go with 75 answering roll call at the lower gate.
The running lasted a good bit longer today with fewer hounds in the mix. Also, we judges moved around a lot more as the hounds went from the back of the pen to the front. In addition, we got a lot more hunting scores today which really served to light up the Scoreboard.
After all was said and done, we congratulate Scott Ball of nearby Louisburg, NC on winning this year’s Piedmont.
I want to compliment John Strider on doing a whale of a job as the Piedmont president. John worked the phones months in advance to try and line up judges and made excellent decisions as the hunt progressed.
We would like to thank the following people for their donations of feed and other items: Randy McGovern with Showtime Feeds, Frank Hill with Diamond Dog Food, Mike Carr with Pride Dog Food, Magnum Telemetry and Wally Johnson of Johnson’s Dog Supply.
Also, thanks to Clyde Sutton who is one of the best Masters of Hounds out there today. He did a great job at this hunt and is always a joy to work with. The other judges hustled and did a fine job as well. They were: Charles McCoy, Mike Carter, Ray Owen, Pete Warren, Tommy McLamb, Walter Cleaton, Jerry Towler, Brent Denny, L.D. Buchanon, Sandra and Andrew Hoyle, John Strider, Josh Robinson, Phillip King, Clif Parker, Austin Whatley, Donnie Adams, Austin Campbell, Chris Pridgen and yours truly.
FIELD TRIAL
all-Age HGA: 1. DWI’s Wish Bone (Ch. Whisenant’s Jimmy B ex Dewayne’s Daisy), Scott Ball, DWI Kennels, Louisburg, NC; 2. Oakdale’s Sherry E (Ch. Atkins’ Big Dee ex Oakdale’s Faith E), Oakdale Kennel, Jetersville, VA; 3. Chasin Trixie (McLamb’s Magic ex McLamb’s Amy), Corey Johnson, Benson, NC; 4. Brunswick’s Cody (D&S Mighty Man ex Turdhill Refund), Quick Catch Kennels, Leland, NC; 5. Hunt’s Penny (Ch. East Coast Holiday ex Pied. (f) Ch. Hunt’s Fly), Richard Hunt, Asheboro, NC; 6. Roger’s Reba J (Pine Valley Bolt ex Pine Valley Intell), Roger Johnson, Kingston, NC; 7. J&E Koolaide (Ch. East Coast Dylan ex J&E Cherry F), J&E Kennel, Grantsboro, NC; 8. J&M’s Bella (Hammerin’ Down Ace ex Baxley’s Bunny), Quick Catch Kennels, Leland, NC; 9. Bowman’s Mouse (D&S Mighty Man ex East Coast Emily), Scott Bowman, Westfield, NC; and 10. Hunt’s Mary (Ch. East Coast Holiday ex Pied (f) Ch. Hunt’s Fly), Richard Hunt.
All-Age Combination: DWI’s Wish Bone, Scott Ball, DWI Kennels.
Derby HGA: 1. B/C Pat (Ch. Bonavita’s Flake ex DM Fancy), B/C Kennels; 2. B/C Rock (Hammerin Down Ace ex Bullard’s Gal), B/C Kennels; 3. B/C Peach (Ch. Bonavita’s Flake ex DM Fancy), B/C Kennels; 4. Dyer’s Janice (Ramsey’s Jerry ex Round Mtn. Fannie), Keith Dyer; 5. Triple Bridge Vegan (East Coast Dylan ex East Coast Vegas), Triple Bridge Kennel; 6. Bryant’s Big Mac (Hunt’s Flip Flop ex Bryant’s Jill), Bobby Bryant; 7. Roger’s Jack J. (Lofton’s’ Jeremiah L. ex Roger’s Ellie May J.), Roger Johnson; 8. Country Boy Shine (Burgess Blackeye ex Country Boy Lacie), Dennis Craig; 9. Tin Roof Lizzy (Tin Roof White Toes ex Tin Roof Judy), Jeffrey Johnson and Charlie Colie; and 10. Country Boy Sabrina (Burgess Blackeye ex Country Boy Lacey), Mike Hildebran.
Derby Combination: B/C Pat, B/C Kennels.
Bench Show
Best in Show: Perry’s Jenny A., Kim Perry.
Best Opposite Sex: Roger’s Jack J., Roger Johnson.
All-Age Male: 1. Ch. High Cotton Luke (Ch. East Coast Hollywood ex Rowan Creek’s Ginger), High Cotton Kennels; 2. Jerry’s Mingo (Barefoot’s Hannibal ex Jerry’s Rachel), Jerry Cornelius; 3. Short’s Dealer (D&S Gambler ex Short’s Holly), Short Brothers; 4. Pied. (f) Ch. Hunt’s Coy (Ch. East Coast Holiday ex Pied. (f) Ch. Hunt’s Fly), Richard Hunt; 5. Brunswick’s Rowdy (Lakehill’s Jaybird ex Bates’ Baby Girl), Brunswick Kennels; 6. Big D’s Redtop (Ramsey’s Jerry ex Ramsey’s Hannah), J&E Kennel; 7. Short’s Paladin (Birch Creek Tennessee ex Short’s Katrina), Short Brothers; 8. Bryant’s Levi (Round Mtn. Alvin ex Pied. (f) Ch. Bryant’s Gertie), Bobby Bryant; 9. Tin-Roof Eagle (Tin-Roof White Toes ex G.B. Jill II), Jeffery Johnson and Charlie Colie; and 10. DWI’s Wish Bone (Ch. Whisenant’s Jimmy B. ex Dewayne’s Daisy), Scott Ball.
All-Age Female: 1. Perry’s Jenny A. (Billy’s Dragon Fly ex Clark’s Janie), Kim Perry; 2. Ward’s Brenda (Congaree’s Hal ex Todd’s Brandy T.), Lamar Blalock; 3. Bowman’s Lavern (Hammerin Down Ace ex Sullivan’s Nightmare), Scott Bowman; 4. Bryant’s Brandy (Ch. Whisenant’s Jimmy B. ex Front End Kayla), Bobby Bryant; 5. Mtn. Dew Sadie (East Coast Dylan ex Round Mtn. Patches), Mtn. Dew Kennels; 6. Brunswick Black Kat (Lakehill’s Rusty II ex Loper’s Miss Brittany Lee), Brunswick Kennels; 7. Bowman’s Tiny (Valentine’s Gus ex Big Wig Tiny), Scott Bowman; 8. Roger’s Reba J. (Pine Valley Bolt ex Pine Valley Intel), Roger Johnson; 9. Mtn. Dew Cricket (East Coast Repo ex Round Mtn. Annie), Mtn. Dew Kennels; and 10. Oakwood Paige (Big D’s Buckwheat ex Round Mtn. Cindy), Oakwood Kennel.
Derby Male: 1. Roger’s Jack J. (Lofton’s Jeremiah ex Roger’s Ellie Mae J.), Roger Johnson; 2. Perry’s Glambera (Perry’s Yellow Head A. ex Perry’s Cindy A.), Kim Perry; 3. Roger’s Broadway J (Lofton’s Jeremiah ex Roger’s Ellie Mae J.), Roger Johnson; 4. Bryant’s Big Mac (Hunt’s Flip Flop ex Bryant’s Jill), Bobby Bryant; 5. Doug’s Cisco Kid (Lakehill’s Cowboy ex Doug’s Ashley), Doug Landingham; 6. Crazy Cooter (J&E Elvis ex J&E Lexus), Short Brothers; 7. Triple Bridge Lightning Rod (Hammerin Down Ace ex Hammerin Down Cappie), Triple Bridge Kennel; 8. Triple Bridge Highball (Lofton’s Jeremiah L. ex Short’s Crazy Lady), Triple Bridge Kennels; 9. Brunswick’s Screamer (Lakehill’s Ike ex Loper’s Miss Brittany Lee), Brunswick Kennels; and 10. Caitie’s Benjie (Oakwood Alvin ex Carter’s Sally), David Rector.
Derby Female: 1. Country Boy Sabrina (Burgess Blackeye ex Country Boy Lacie), Mike Hildebran; 2. Triple Bridge Repo (East Coast Repo ex Triple Bridge Mollie B.), Triple Bridge Kennel; 3. Country Boy Shine (Burgess Blackeye ex Country Boy Lacie), Dennis Craig; 4. FC’s Elvira H. (Ch. Diesel Hawkins ex Ch. East Coast Zena), Shane Haynes; 5. Triple Bridge Bobbi Socks (Lofton’s Jeremiah L. ex Short’s Crazy Lady), Triple Bridge Kennel; 6. Perry’s Katie A. (Carr’s Johnny ex Carr’s Fly), Kim Perry; 7. B&C Pat (Ch. Bonavita’s Flake ex DM Fancy), B&C Kennels; 8. J&E Persillia (J&E Elvis ex Pinedale Lil Lexus B.), J&E Kennel; 9. Dyer’s Pat (Ramsey’s Jerry ex Rector’s Fancy T.), Keith Dyer; and 10. Bryant’s Katie (Bryant’s Cool Luke ex No Pity Sunset), Bobby Bryant.
Best Pair: Owned by Mike Hildebran.